Radish Subzi / Radish Curry

    Radish is not one of my favorite, as a child. I reluctantly prepared this curry when I heard the recipe from a friend and to my surprise found it to be perfect and scrumptious. A very big Thanks to her in initiating me to incorporate this healthy vegetable in our menu. This turned to be a great accompaniment for rice. This is how I made it.

Ingredients
 

Radish chopped to small pieces - 3 cups
Oil - 1 tbsp
Chana dal - 1 tsp
Urud dal - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Mustart seeds - 2 tsp
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Onions chopped finely - 1/2
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Corriander powder - 2 tsp
Red chili powder - 2 tsp
Ginger and garlic paste - 1 tsp
Salt as per taste
 

Recipe

1) Heat oil in a pan, splutter chana dal, urud dal, cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Once done add the asoefoetida.
2) Now add the onions and fry for 2-3 minutes.
3) Add in the ginger garlic paste and mix thoroughly.
3) Then add the cumin powder, coriander powder, red chili powder and mix nicely for about a minute.
4) Then add the chopped radish and salt and cook nicely for about 10-15 minutes by mixing occasionally.
5) Garnish with coriander leaves.

Tips

1) You can also micro-oven or steam cook the radish for 7- 8 minutes, if you are short of time. Follow the same recipe above but once you add the radish cook nicely for 2-3 minutes only, till all the spices mix.

Baby Potato in yogurt sauce

   The potato, a name derived from the native American Indian word "batata", was first cultivated by the Inca Indians in Peru over 4,000. Potatoes are an excellent source of carbohydrates, the body's best energy
source. In October 1995, the potato was the first vegetable to be grown in space years ago.
   Did you know the potato is actually about 80  percent water? Only 20 percent of it is  actually a solid.  Potatoes can also be  quite large, with the world’s largest weighting in over 18 pounds.  And large potatoes didn’t stop with just the  vegetable itself. Pringles also made the  world’s largest potato chip.  It was  produced in Tennessee in 1990, and it measures 23 inches across. Now lets see a melt in your mouth delicious dish with the baby potatoes.

 

 

Ingredients

Yogurt - 1/2 cup
Ginger past - 2 tsps
Garlic paste - 2 tsps
Asafoetida - one pinch
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 2 tsps
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt as per taste
Coriander powder - 2 tsps
Onions chopped - 2
Baby Potatoes - 15
Coriander leaves chopped - 2 tbsp

 

 

Recipe

1) Pressure cook the potatoes and when they are cool enough drain the water, prick them with a fork in multiple sites and keep them aside.
2) Take a large bowl and add in yogurt, ginger paste, garlic paste, asafoetida powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, garam masala, salt,  coriander powder and mix well.
3) To this add the baby potatoes, give a nice mix and allow to marinate for about 30 - 60 minutes.
4) Heat a non-stick pan and roast onions till lightly browned (WITHOUT using any oil).
5) Then add the marinated mixture of the baby potatoes and cook till it comes to a boil. Then reduce the flame and cook for about 5 - 7 minutes till the gravy thickens.
6) Garnish with coriander leaves and enjoy with chapatis, rice, dosa.

 

Potato Gravy

    Potatoes were first introduced outside the Andes region four centuries ago, and have become an integral part of much of the world's cuisine.The annual diet of an average global citizen in the first decade of the 21st century included about 33 kg (73 lb) of potato. In terms of nutrition, the potato is best known for its carbohydrate content (approximately 26 grams in a medium potato). Let's see a very easy but delicious recipe of potato.

Ingredients

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Chopped Onions - 1
Boiled and peeled potatoes chopped - 2
Chili powder - 2 tsp
Tomatoes chopped - 1
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Salt as per taste
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp

Recipe

1) Heat oil in a pan, splutter the mustard seeds.
2) Add the onions and fry for 2-3 minutes.
3) Now add in the chopped tomatoes, chili powder, coriander powder, salt and turmeric powder and mix nicely.
4) Then add the potatoes and cook nicely, till all the spices mix in nicely. This will take about 5-6 minutes.
5) Garnish with coriander leaves.

Tips

1) Can add boiled peas for a more delicious gravy.
2) Adding in cashew nuts also give a unique flavor.
3) Pressure the potatoes for two whistles or microwave them for 7 minutes to help increase the speed of cooking.

Green Papaya Curry

Papaya is a large tree-like plant, with a single stem growing from 5 to 10 metres (16 to 33 ft)tall.It is believed by most historians that the papaya plant originated in southern Mexico or Central America.Papaya is very versatile,can be used as a fruit and also as an vegetable.It helps in Intestinal disorders,skin disorders,menstrual irregularities,cirrhosis of the liver,throat disorders,spleen enlargement.In south India pregnant women are strongly advised to avoid this during their pregnancy. 

Ingredients
Green Papaya peeled and chopped into 1/2 " pieces - 1
Oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Cumin -1 tsp
Red chillies - 2
Coconut -1/2 cup
Garlic - 2-3
Salt as per taste
Turmeric - 2 pinches
Curry leaves - 1 spring

Recipe
1)Cook the papaya in microwave with little water for about 7-8 minutes.
2)Heat oil in a pan,add mustard seeds,cumin seeds after they splutter add curry leaves.
3)Grind the coconut and red chillies into a coarse mix without adding any water and mix it to the pan.
4)Add crushed garlic,Turmeric and salt,saute for a minute.
5)Now add the green papaya,cover and cook for about 5-6 minutes till all the spices blend well.

Tips
1)Goes well with rice.
2)If you do not want to use microwave follow the same recipe by adding the coarse mix of coconut and red chillies in the end after adding the green papaya and cook for a couple of minutes uncovered.

Brinjal Fry

The brinjal is believed to have been domesticated in north-eastern India where wild forms still grow.The seeds were carried to China more than 1500 years ago where small fruited types were later developed.
It is rich in Vitamin A and B.It can block the formation of free radicals,help control cholesterol levels and is also a source of folic acid and potassium.Arabs have a superstition that the fruit has high "heating" properties which causes melancholia and madness.For this reason,Malay and Indian women do not consume brinjals for the first 40 days after giving birth.The fruit of the plant is used as an antidote in cases of mushroom poisoning.When I think of Brinjal nowadays,the first thought to strike me is about the Bt Brinjal (a transgenic brinjal created by inserting a Cry1Ac gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis into brinjal),happy to know the Indian Government is taking more time to release them,after all the debate and controversy.
Here I am going to share with you a simple yet tasty recipe of Brinjal.
Ingredients
Brinjal - 10 (cut and slit into pieces)
Salt as required
Chanadal flour - 2 tablespoons
Chili powder as required
Dhania powder - 2 teaspoons
Oil - 2-3 tablespoons

                  

Recipe
1)Mix all the ingredients well.
2)Heat a pan of oil and add the brinjals to it.
3)Cook in low-medium heat and keep mixing occasionally,till the brinjals are well cooked.
Tips
1)Cook the Brinjals immediately after they are mixed with the chanadal powder.

Aviyal

Aviyal is a traditional Kerala dish,practically a cooked salad with different veggies,coconut,cumin,yogurt and coconut oil.All vegetables go in it, except perhaps,some mushy vegetables.
There is a legend about this dish. The Maharaja of Travencore used to perform Murajapam every year (The word murajapam signifies a course of prayer.Mura,literally "a course of recitation" each taking eight days to go through,and japam meaning " prayer or chating of vedic hymns".The Murajapam thus instituted consists of seven courses and lasts for fifty six days,closing with the grand illimunation of the temple called lakshadipam). One year it so happened that there was no vegetables left on the last day of the Murajapam.Only few pieces of various vegetables left over from the previous days were available. The cook cut all the left overs into long thin pieces and prepared "Aviyal." The king liked the dish so much and presented him with a gold bracelet and ordered that this dish be served every year since then.
The traditional aviyal generally uses common vegetables like
Raw Green plantain
Elephant yam
Chembu (colocasia)
Snake gourd (Trichosanthes Anguina)
Pumpkin
Ash gourd
Carrot
Beans
Avarakkai(Broad Beans)
Chow Chow
Thondekkai
Lobia
Green mango (raw)
Drumsticks
Raw jackfruit
A small quantity of bitter gourd can be used to give a tinge of bitterness
Potato
Shelled Peas
Long String Beans

Ingredients
250 grams of any combinaton of the above vegetables peeled(long thin 2" pieces)
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Curry leaves Few
Salt as per taste
Coconut Paste - 1/2 cup
Green chillies - 6-7 nos
Cummin seeds - 1 tsp
Curds 3-4 tbsp lightly sour (if using raw mango, do not use curds)
Method
1.Boil the vegetables until just done, with turmeric powder and salt (cover and cook). One should be careful not to overcook the vegetables.They should remain crisp.
2.Grind together the coconut, green chillies and cummin seeds to make a fine paste, adding very little water.Mix the curd to the ground paste and keep aside.
3.Add the paste to the vegetables and gently toss for few minutes, until all the vegetables are coated with the paste.If using a spoon, be careful not to mash the vegetables.Add fresh curry leaves, coconut oi and mix well.Switch of the stove and serve hot with rice,chapathi etc.

Tips
1.If you do not like coconut oil,you can exclude that and the avial is still very tasty.
2.You can also microven the vegetables with turmeric and salt.
3.Avial has to sit a while for its flavours to deepen.
4.Add Pumpkin and squash after the other vegetables are half done because they tend to cook faster.
5.Add litte water because avial is a dish of thick consistency.
6.Close the avial once cooked,not to lose the flavour.
7.If you are adding raw mango there is no need for curd as the mango will provide the sourness.Mango should also be added after the other vegetables are half done.